Customer Reviews

The Book of Bourbon: And other Fine American Whiskeys

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Prior to visiting Kentucky, I looked for travel books on the region and its whiskey industry. Surprisingly enough, there's not a travel guide dedicated to Kentucky--the usual suspects such as Lonely Planet cover it by merging it with a number of other states, including Tennessee--and a "whiskey trail" book hasn't really been done, although this book by Gary and Mardee Regan is close. I found this ten-year-old book earlier this year during one of my used-book searches for cocktailian tomes. It had two things going for it: I knew the author, and it filled a gap in my library of bachannalia on this quintessential American liquor. While it didn't prove as useful as a guide to the state, it was invaluable in my education on how American whiskey is made, so that when I did make it to the Jim Beam and Maker's Mark distilleries, I already knew much of what their short films and tours showed me, so that I could concentrate on the first-hand experience and the fine details, rather than starting from scratch.

Describing how whiskey is made is a third of this book. One third is given up to covering as many of the labels existing at the time (1995), including not only tasting notes but extended histories that cover who originated the label/recipe, if it changed, and, finally, who owns the rights to it. Due to both the economy of scale needed to produce bourbon, the limited audience (as opposed to, say, wine or beer), and the after-effects of Prohibition, around ten companies are responsible for the whiskey that you can purchase in your local liquor store. Even Maker's Mark, which prides itself as a family-operated business, is owned by the same larger conglomerate that owns Jim Beam.

The final third of the book provides recipes for cocktails and food that can be made with bourbon. There's nothing there that's much different than what you can get in a standard Bartender's bible for cocktails, although it's useful if you already are feeling like something with whiskey in it to be able to pick up this book and have all the recipes fit your desire. All in all, this remains a useful book, although the whiskey industry has changed enough in the last ten years that an updated version would be different enough to justify a second printing.

What's your favorite bourbon? This book will help you understand what makes your favorite different from others. And help you figure out which to try next. Invite a few friends over for a whiskey tasting; the authors will help you look like an expert. For real fun, make it a blind tasting and make sure you invite at least one whiskey snob. Better bourbons usually cost more, but that doesn't mean you have to spend $50 for a great one. This book will help you find the gems.

I took this book along to a large whiskey tasting in San Francisco a couple of years ago and came home with autographs of some of America's master distillers on the pages about their products. It's one of my favorite possessions.

This book includes a detailed history of bourbon, rye and Tennessee whiskey. It discusses the people and the political climate that shaped the American whiskey industry. After the history, the book details the major distilleries and includes tasting notes for many American Whiskies on the market. It doesn't provide ratings - Regan's other book does that. Also included is a section on how bourbon is made, one with cocktail recipes, and another with food recipes using bourbon.This book serves as a wonderful history lesson and makes a reader proud of the art of the American whiskey distiller.

I've tried a lot of bourbons and ryes over the years, probably over 100, so it's an area I have some idea about. So I wasn't sure I would learn much from another book about it. But Regan's descriptions of the specific flavors and essences in the various bourbons are excellent, and having tried almost everything in the book and done my own taste analyses, I can say he truly knows his stuff, and I picked up some new things as well.

Regan also does a fine job of discussing the history of bourbon and the various distilleries, and although this background is interesting too, and also the details on actual bourbon distilling, the best part of the book is the descriptions, as this is the best way to learn to detect and disciminate the features of the different bourbons. Bourbons differ from each other almost as much as single malts, and learning to appreciate the full spectrum of of styles and possibilities is one of the great things about bourbon. There are important differences in the flavors and essences present in bourbon vs. scotch. Although it's not a hard and fast rule, bourbons tend to be stronger with respect to the "dark fruits,"--that is, the plum, raisen, prune, and dates flavors, which single-malt whiskies typically don't have-- although Linkwood is one scotch that is famous for its raisen-like flavor.

Another difference between bourbons and single-malts is they are often sweeter and more sugary on the palette than scotch, which is why you can do things like pour it over deserts and ice-cream--something you probably wouldn't want to do with scotch--although I once had an amazing 17-yr. old Cadenhead, Ltd. (one of the several independent scotch agers and bottlers) bottle of Longmorn that was pure nectar, very sweet, and hardly tasted like typical scotch at all, and was more like a hybrid between a very sweet bourbon and Cognac.

One fun thing I learned from this book is why I like the Old Fitzgerald and Old Weller bourbons so much. Turns out they use some rye as well as corn in the malt, which accounts for the spicey character of these fine bourbons. I didn't realize they were doing this until I read the section on these bourbons. Makers Mark, originally a small batch, "boutique" bourbon that has really caught on in the last 15 years and has come a long way from its modest beginnings in a small wooden building, also does this.

Well, I could go on for a while on interesting things about bourbon and scotch and how they resemble or differ from each other, but I'll leave the rest to discover for yourself, hopefully by way of this book. Good luck and happy tasting!

I've been an avid bourbon drinker for about 10 years but I learned a lot from this book. This book covers the history of bourbon, the whiskey making process, how to taste bourbon, whiskey reviews, and information on individual distillers. If you're a bourbon drinker you owe it to yourself to read this book.

This book tells a lot about Bourbon, probably more than most folks really want to know. The Bourbon lover will enjoy the book because of the background of the drink and the tips on how to best enjoy it. The first scan taught me a few new things that I had never thought of. I recommend this to anyone interested in this great American spirit.

The history of whiskey, bourbon, etc. has always been really interesting to me. This is a great book about hooch and everything. I truly recommend this book.

The content of book is very good - well written, interesting and about what I was hoping for. However, the print quality of the book itself is sub-par. The type is tiny, and the quality of the images is grainy at best. I was hoping for something that would be as visually stimulating as it was informative. This wasn't it.

Very informative and correct. I live in Kentucky within driving distance of all major distilleries. I must say the author was knowledgeable and let one form his/her own opinion based on one's own palate.

I know about Bourbon. I've visited distilleries, I know of the major producers, I've met with master distillers, and I've sampled many different bourbons. Of the several books I've used to assist me in gaining knowledge I find this book outstanding. Nevermind that a couple of distilleries have changed names or owners or that their master distiller has changed in the few years since this book was written. If you want to understand bourbon both from the perspective of it being the U.S. national distilled spirit and its history to what the differences are between bourbons this is your book. This book even gives the ingredient differences by distiller and product. Don't make a fool of yourself thinking Jack Daniels is bourbon. This book will tell you why it is not, what products are, and what makes them different. I love the book. (and I get to write for magazines so I appreciate good research.)